As I sit in yet another airport lounge I reflect on what Horatio has taught me about life and to what degree I have truly learned and made those lessons part of my life. I conclude that whilst I did learn a lot during our epic 4 months, most lessons have been put to one side as my daily life at home and work have reasserted themselves.
One lesson I have retained is to avoid newspapers and tv news programmes as much as possible. I keep a loose track of the news when I listen to the radio and from time to time I might check up on something on the BBC website – usually when doing a weather check for my next destination. If I am flying BA I will pick up their free newspaper, scan it and then do the puzzles! I have found I am much happier when I dont dwell on the news as its generally depressing or irrelevant, or sometimes, as last night with the election of the new pope, complete overkill of a single subject.
Even B agrees and has stopped watching the late TV news as it was not exactly a great nightcap. the other day he forgot and watched the early evening edition – he confessed his sin (pope influence here?!) and vowed not to do it again. No aves required, but its part of our personal religion – dont do something you don’t need to do if it makes you unhappy. Four months without news bar one donated Daily Mail certainly taught us that.
Other things I keep to…. well, I don’t take a hairdryer on trips anymore, but right now I am sorry to say that everything else I think of has been put on hold.
Things I learned but do not currently implement (office email speak) include stopping work at a sensible time of day (latest 6pm), not working at weekends, avoiding people who wind me up, not stressing over travel arrangements and putting a date on moving to France and working part time with a view to retirement.
The first two are currently stymied by a work overload, and a feeling/hope that if I do more now, I will have less to do and so more free time when Horatio takes over my life again. And of course there will always be annoying people you cannot avoid, the trick is to not allow them to get under your skin, which is my target currently.
Then we come to the so called Exit Strategy. Some people we talk to think that 50 is way to young to be thinking of this, but bearing in mind that B is 7 years older, we best not leave it too long as we need his fitness as well as mine if we are going to take the plunge into a new life – even if it turns out to be a dip in the shallows before we paddle home again – I want to at least leave those footprints on the beach. So I worked that simile to death, but it was fun.
One thing I do know, is that when we set off again a weight will lift from me, if only temporarily, as we leave our shores and begin another adventure. All trips, short or long, near or far should be seen as adventures – there is always something new or different, and even when you revisit theres the joy of old friends and newly familiar places.
One thing I did learn, even before Horatio, was that whenever possible I do something to ensure a trip has something enjoyable about it. It can be a nice hotel, staying near a friend so we can meet up in the evening, taking B with me so we can sightsee, upgrading my flight, choosing to fly the day before so there is no pressure with delays and no getting up a silly o’clock. In a way, Horatio represents the ultimate way to make my travel more enjoyable – B is with me, we take time and look, no airports and when the work is over, we are somewhere different.
Just don’t tune that new TV to the news!